Clark alvord



c. ALVORD.

Wheel` Cultivator.

Patented Dec. 15, 1868. A

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W/fzesess ,5% @ai CLARK' ALVORD, OF WESTFORD. WISCONSIN Letters Patent No. 84,931, dated DecemberA 15, 1868.

IMPRVEMENT IN c:m1.Trim'rans.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may conce/rn Be it' known that I, CLARK ALVORD, of Westibrd, in the county of Dodge, and State of Wisconsin, have in- Vented a new and improved Cultivator; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact'description of the construction and operation ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a longitudinal vertical section through line a: x of g. 2.

Figine 2 is a top view.

This invention comprises four separate improvements in cultivators, namely, h'st, a new method of attaching the teeth secondly, a new device for holding them in the ground; thirdly, animproved apparatus for cleaningthem; and, lastly, a novel construction ofthe frame, draughtpole, and cleaning-apparatus, for the purpose of enabling the teeth to be raised or lowered couveniently, and of fixing them in contact with the ground, or at any required elevation above'it.

In the drawings- A A are the wheels;

B, the axle, connecting them; and v C, a rectanguh r horizontal ame, mounted upon said axle, and rigidly attached to it, about one-third of the frame coming forward oi the axle, and the rest behind it.

The driveiis seat is supported upon this frame, above or just in the rear oi' the axle, and his feet rest upon the frame, or a platform attached to it above the axle, or upon a platform, D, bolted to the rear end of the draught-pole E.

The front cross-beam F of frame C is pivoted to the side-beams of the frame, or, in other words, is a rockshaft-bearing in the side-beams.

rlhe draught-pole passes over it, and is rigidly attached to it, so that the vertical rocking ofthe draughtpole rocks the beam.

The front edge of platform D rests upon the beam, and the platform rocks with the beam and the draughtole. p The-rear end of the' draught-pole is provided with a vertical curved rack, G, notched in its rear edge, and operating, in connection with an eccentric lever or button, H, to lock the draught-pole at any required incli nation to IIthe plane of 'amc C. t

I I are the fh'ag-bars, or plow-beams, jointed to the under side of the axle by any suitable means, and extending back under the frame C.

J is a wide, fiat cross-bar, rmly fixed to the under side of frame C, not far from its rear end, and provided with an elongated slot, a, over each drag-bar, extending in the saine direction with the drag-bar. y

A headed bolt, b, rmly fixed to the drag-bar, extends up through the' slot, the head of the bolt coming above the bar J, and preventing the bolt from becoming disconnected from the latter.

*HM- l i A spring, e', between the drag-bar and the bar J, serves to press the former down, and hold the teeth or plows in the ground, allowing them to rise over immovable obstacles.

The shanks of the teeth are made in a triangular ferm, and are clamped to the side of the drag-bar'by means of two screw-bolts, rmJ m', and a clamping-plate, o, the 'clamping-plate being placed against the triangle, and, by the operation ofthe screw-bolts, clamping thelatter between it and the drag-bar with any required degree of iirmness.

I am aware that the rear end of the drag-bar hasv heretofore been slotted or split, and the teeth inserted in the slot and confined by clamping the sides of the drag-bar together.

My method of constructipn differs entirely from that, by employing the independent and removable clamping-plate, which may be made of wood lor iron, which is adjustable as it wears away, so as alwt ys to keep the Vteeth iirmly clamped, and which, lwhen-too much worn,- v can be removed, and a new one substituted in a moment.

' It can also be employed with any form of tooth, being by no means conned to the triangular form.

In connection with the above-described parts, I employ, for the purpose of cleaning the teeth when theybecome foul, a set of cleaning-bars, o" fr, extending from under the front end of frame C, back between the teeth,

and in contact with their sides, as seen in the drawings.

' 'The forward ends of the cleaning-bars are all rigidly attached to a strong, deepeross-beam, N, which is supported by the rockingl cross-beam F, being hinged at its rear upper edge to the latter, as shown at n.

A stout spring, s, attached to the beam F, presses against the rear side of beam N, and holds the latter in the position shown in iig. 1, unless considerable force ,is employed, in which case the spring will yield and almay be employed to held the two beams in the relative position represented iu iig. 1.

The operation of a device thus constructed is as follows:

YBy disengaging the lever H trom the notched rack G, and throwing the drivers weight in front of the axle, (either upon the platform D, or frame 10,) thewhole apparatus is rocked upon the axle as a fulcrum, in such a manner as to raise the teeth out of the ground, and throw down the'rear ends of the cleaning-bars, which, as they scrape down along the sides of the teeth, thoroughly clean them ofthe grass, roots, and other trash adhering to them.

If the hasp h is locked, the teeth cannot be raised any higher than'the position above described; but, if the hasp be unlocked, the joint a will yield when snflicient weight is thrown upon the platform, and allow the teeth to be raised to any desired eleyation.

In travelling to and from the field, the teeth may be thus elevated and locked in position by inserting the edge of the eccentric-lever H into one of the .upper notches of the rack.

The function of the spring s is to press the rear ends of the cleaning-bars down with a considerable force, so that, when the vteeth are raised, the cleaning-bars will not rise with them, as would often be the case were no springs employed, but will scrape the sides of the teeth, and clean them in the manner described.

In ease it be desired to use the cultivator in soil not liable to clog the teeth,-the beam N, with the cleaning-bars attached to it, may be detached and removed by simply taking the pintles out ofthe hinges -n n.

This beam, and the cleaning-bars, when in position, serve to properly b'alancethev whole machine upon the axle. Vhen removed, the proper equilibrium may be maintained by placing a few stones, or other suitable Weight, upon the platform D.

In that case, the driver can walk behind and raise the plcws, or depress them, by means of the rear crossbar of frame G, using it as a plow-handle, it being properly rounded for convenient handling.

Knobs or handles may be attached to it for greater convenience, if preferred, and the handle of lever H may be extended back, so as to be within the drivers reach.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure b v Letters Patent, is

l. Clamping the teeth to the side of the drag-bars by means of the independent plate o, and the two 'screwbolts, when the several parts are constructed and arranged to operate in the manner described.

2. The arrangement of the slotted `cross-bar J, dragbars I I, headed bolts b, fixed to the diag-bars, and extending through the slots of beam J, and springs i Ai, substantially as shown and described.

3. The employment ofcleaning-bars lr r, arranged in relation to the teeth, substantially as described, and operating to cleanV the teeth when the latter are raised, or when the bars are depressed, as herein set forth.

4. rlhe combination of the cleaning-bars lr fr, beam N, spring s, and hinge n, when employed on a cultivator, for the purpose speciiied.

5. The combination of the frame C, rocking with the axle, as described, with the draught-pole E pivoted to the front beam of the frame, the plow-'beams I I, the cleaning-bars lr lr, and the spring s, substantially as and .for the purposes herein described.

6. In combination with the rocking-beams F and N, l cleaning-hars lr lr, and drag-beams I I, the hasp h and.

staple h', arranged, as described, on the two beams, and operating in the manner and for the purposes herein described.

W'itnesses:

LYSANDER HILL, NATHAN K. ELLswontrH.

CLARK ALVOR-D. 

